Does power corrupt?

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Abstract
Examined the way in which control of institutional powers influences self-esteem and esteem for others in a simulated organizational setting with 28 undergraduates. Observations and questionnaire responses indicate that the control of power caused Ss to (a) increase their attempts to influence the behavior of the less powerful, (b) devalue the worth of the less powerful's performance, (c) attribute the cause of the less powerful's efforts to power controlled by themselves rather than to the less powerful's motivations to do well, (d) view the less powerful as objects of manipulation, and (e) express a preference for the maintenance of psychological distance from the less powerful. No support was found for the prediction that the control of power would elevate self-esteem. Findings are discussed in terms of recent writings concerned with the disruptive influences of inequities in power. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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